“We have to buy tickets,” Brian said as the porter eased the metal edge of the hand truck under the box. He hoped that the man spoke English.

“No problem. Where are you going?”

“Mexico City.”

“No problem. You people, you just follow me.”

The unhappy-looking woman behind the window grille also spoke English, he was relieved to find out. Yes, there was a first-class compartment available. The ancient machine at her elbow disgorged two tickets, which she hand-stamped. The only problem was money.

“Don’t take dollars,” she said, scowling, as though it were his fault. “Only moneda national.”

“Can’t we change money here?” Shelly asked.

“The change is closed already.”

Brian’s surge of panic was only slightly relieved when the porter said, “I got a friend, change money.”

“Where?”

“Over there, he work in the bar.”

The bartender smiled broadly, was more than happy to sell pesos for dollars.

“You know I gotta charge different from the bank because I lose on the exchange.”

“Whatever you say,” Brian said, passing over the greenbacks.

“I’m sure he’s cheating you!” Shelly hissed when the man went to the till.

“I agree. But we’re getting on the train and that’s what counts.”

Cheated or not he felt immensely relieved to see the thick bundle of pesos that he got in return for his dollars.

It was eight minutes to twelve when the porter put the box on the floor in the compartment, pocketed his ten-dollar tip, closed the door behind him as he left. Shelly pulled down the curtain while Brian locked the door and opened the box.

“The correct rate of exchange for selling dollars in Mexico is—”

“Keep it a secret from us, will you please?” Brian said as he took out his airline bag. “Been enjoying your trip so far, Sven?”

“If looking at the inside of dark car trunks is enjoyable, then I have enjoyed myself.”

“It can only get better,” Shelly said.

There was the clank of distant couplings and the train shuddered and began to move; an imperious knock rattled the door.

“I’ll get that,” Shelly said. “You had better relax.”

“I would love to.”

She waited until he had slammed the box shut before she unlocked and opened the door.

“Tickets please,” the conductor said.

“Yes, of course.” He passed them over. The conductor punched them and pointed to the seats.

“Just pull the back of the couch down when you are ready to retire, the bed is already made up. The upper bunk swings down like this. Have a pleasant journey.”

Brian locked the door behind him and dropped onto the seat limply. This had been quite a day.

The train swayed as they picked up speed, the wheels clicked over the rails, lights moved by outside. He opened the curtain and watched the suburbs stream past, then the farms beyond.

“We’ve made it!” Shelly said. “I’ve never seen a more lovely sight in my life.”

“I am sure that it is a most interesting view,” the muffled voice said.

“Sorry about that,” Brian said as he opened the box again. Sven pushed his eyestalks out so he could see through the window as well. Brian turned off the lights and they watched the landscape drift by.

“What time do we get there?” Shelly asked.

“Three in the afternoon.”

“And then?”

Brian was silent, looking out into the darkness, still not sure. “Shelly, I still think I ought to be doing this on my own.”

“Nonsense. In for a penny, in for a pound, isn’t that what they say?”

“They say it in Ireland all right.”

“It is my belief that you should accept Shelly’s offer of aid,” Sven said.

“Did I ask for your opinion?”

“No. But her suggestion is a good one. You have been quite ill, your memory has gaps in it. You can use her help. Take it.”

“Outvoted,” Brian sighed. “The plan is a simple one — but you had better have your passport with you.”

“I do. Packed it in as soon as Dr. Snaresbrook mentioned she would be going to the Mexican border.”

“What I must do is stay ahead of anyone who comes looking for me.”

“Go to ground in Mexico?”

“I thought of that — but it’s no good. The Mexican and American police cooperate very closely in chasing down drug runners. I am sure that General Schorcht would tag me as a criminal if that was needed to track me down. So I have to go further than Mexico. I checked the schedules and a lot of international flights leave Mexico City in the early evening. So we buy tickets and leave the country.”

“Any particular destination in mind?”

“Of course. Ireland. You’ll remember that I am an Irish citizen.”

“That’s a brilliant idea. So we get to Ireland — then what?”

“I am going to try and find Dr. Bociort — if he is still alive. Which will probably mean making a trip to Rumania. The people who stole my first AI and tried to kill me are still out there. I am going to find them. For a lot of reasons. Revenge might be one of them, but survival is the main one. With their threat removed I can stop looking over my shoulder. And General Schorcht will no longer have an excuse to cause me trouble.”

“Amen to that.” She yawned widely and covered her mouth. “Excuse me. But if you are half as tired as I am we should get some sleep.”

“Now that you have said it — yes.”

He pulled down the curtain and turned on the lights. As promised, the two berths were made up and swung easily into position.

“I’ll take the upper,” Shelly said, opening her suitcase and taking out pajamas and a dressing gown, grabbed her purse. “Be right back.”

When she returned the only light on was the small one over her berth. Brian was under the covers and Sven had raised the curtain an inch and was looking out.

“Good night,” she said.

“Good night,” Sven said. A soft snore was the only other sound.

39

December 20, 2024

The scenery flowed by while they ate breakfast in the dining car. Small villages, jungle and mountains, an occasional glimpse of ocean as they skirted the Sea of Cortez. While they were finishing their coffee a phone rang and Brian saw one of the other diners take it from his jacket pocket and answer it.

“I’m being stupid,” he said. “I should have thought of it before this. Do you have your phone with you?”

“Of course. Doesn’t everyone?”

“Not me, not now. You know that you can receive a phone call no matter where you are. Did you ever think of the mechanism involved?”

“Not really. It’s one of those things you take for granted.”

“It was so new to me that I looked into it. There are fiber-optic and microwave links everywhere now, cellular nets right around the world. When you want to make a call you just punch it in and the nearest station accepts it and passes it on. What you might not realize is that your phone is always on, always on standby. And it logs in automatically when you move between cells by sending your present location to the memory bank of your home exchange. So when someone dials your number the national or international telephone system always knows where to find you and pass on the incoming call.”

Her eyes widened. “You mean it knows where I am now? That anyone with the authority could obtain this information?”

“Absolutely. Like General Schorcht for instance.”

She gasped. “Then we have to get rid of it! Throw it off the train—”

“No. If a phone goes out of commission a signal is sent to the repair service. You don’t want to draw any attention to yourself. We can be fairly sure that no one is looking for you yet. But when they find that I’m missing and the search begins, they will be sure to contact everyone who worked with me. Let’s go back to the compartment — I have an idea.”

There was a panel under the window that looked perfect. Brian pointed to it.

“Sven, do you think you can take those screws out?”